Food technology school trips to Barcelona

Give your students a taste of Spain with a tapas tour around Barcelona, where they’ll get to try a small dish in each restaurant.

One of the best-known features of Barcelona, this magnificent mile-long boulevard was originally a mountain stream that ran alongside the 13th century second wall of the city. Now, flower stalls and street art line the pavement, between dozens of shops, restaurants and human statues that we know your students will love exploring.

Spend an afternoon exploring the various food stalls at La Boqueria Market, considered to be one of the largest food markets in the world. Here, you can sample local cured meats, fresh fruit juice or mouthwatering churros as you make your way around. We’ve found this excursion is really popular with school groups, and an excellent chance for students to try out their Spanish language skills.

Once the city’s sole green space, the Parc de la Ciutadella is home to abundant activities, including museums, the city zoo, a large fountain, and the Palau del Parlament de Catalunya. Owing to this huge political building, the park is also an excellent place to discuss the Catalan wage for independence with your students.

An excursion which we know your students will love. Learn all about the history of chocolate in Barcelona’s Chocolate Museum, where you can watch demonstrations, view the incredible chocolate sculptures created by master chocolatiers, and – of course – get to try and bring home some delicious chocolate. Yum!

It may take years to perfect the dance form of flamenco, the folkloric music tradition of southern Spain, but students can learn the basics with an evening of culture in a welcoming Barcelona dance centre. We’ve seen student groups immerse themselves in the spirit of the dance, encouraged by friendly flamenco musicians and their atmospheric guitar accompaniment.

Students can learn all about the vibrant history and tradition surrounding Spain’s iconic small plates in this cooking lesson, while discovering the incredible flavours that go into Spanish tapas. Lessons are taught in Spanish, which we’ve found makes the experience more authentic, however there’s also a group translator to allow students to keep up.

The symbol of Barcelona, La Sagrada Familia is a must-visit when staying in this Catalan city. Arguably one of the most spectacular basilicas in the world, Gaudi’s original design is still unfinished to this day. Though breathtaking from the outside, the inside of the church doesn’t disappoint either – we’ve seen students gaze in awe at the colourful stained glass windows and towering columns.

Students can learn how to cook one of the best-known dishes in Spanish cuisine in this paella workshop. With a history spanning hundreds of years, there’s much more than meets the eye with this hearty Valencian dish. Lessons are taught in Spanish, which we’ve found makes the experience more authentic, however there’s also a group translator to help students keep up.

Immerse your students in the atmosphere of the phenomenal Camp Nou football stadium – home of Barcelona Football Club since its construction in 1957. With a capacity of 98,787, making it the largest stadium in Europe, we’ve seen school groups amazed by both its size and energy.

Students will love this experience of learning about Spain’s history and culture around cocoa and chocolate. At this workshop, students will be able to see antique machines create delicious chocolate products, and how the process has changed from its origins more than 100 years ago to the present day.

A seaside neighbourhood favoured by locals and punctuated by its huge glass W hotel building, La Barceloneta offers an idyllic spot where students can watch surfers ride the waves on Sant Sebastià Beach, dine al fresco in its many seafood and tapas restaurants, and explore the glitzy marina. We recommend pairing this excursion with visits to Montjuïc, which you can get to directly using the port’s cable car.

Boasting a vast history dating back several thousand years, the 213-metre hill of Montjuic features several attractions, from its Spanish Village and Magic Fountain to the MNAC (Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya) – one of the city's most important museums. Explore the beauty of the local botanical gardens or exhibition rooms – excursions we know have been popular with student groups.

The perfect excursion after a long day of exploring, the Magic Fountain of Montjuïc is a spectacle that should be experienced by all of your students. Through its 3,620 jets, the fountain sprays an impressive 700 gallons of water each second, accompanied by an extravagant light and music show for the breathtaking full effect.

Give your students a feel for Spain’s many contrasting locales in the ‘Spanish Village’ – an outdoor open-air architectural museum. Combining the main characteristics of all the towns and villages in the Iberian Peninsula, the village offers an “ideal model” of a Spanish urban area, complete with streets, squares and facades of different areas across the country.

One of Barcelona’s leading tourist attractions, Port Vell has several activities for your students’ entertainment, including the Maremàgnum shopping mall, IMAX cinema and Europe’s largest aquarium. The old harbour’s history dates back to around the 4th century BC, when it was occupied by the Laietani.

There’s no end of things to do on Barcelona’s vast waterfront, which stretches across more than five kilometres of the eastern Spanish coast. Join the local joggers as you stroll along this beautiful palm lined promenade, taking in the street art, sculptures, and laid back atmosphere along the way.